Maria V. Snyder’s Touch of Power is the first book in the Healer series. This magical land was once full of magicians and nonmagic users who divided themselves into fifteen kingdoms. Without warning, a plague decimated two-thirds of the population. In anger and grief, people blamed healers, people who absorb the injuries of others, for the plagues spread. Hunted and persecuted, Avry has spent the last three years moving from town to town. After getting caught, she is abducted by a group of men the value her gift. They need her to heal a plague-stricken prince in order to prevent surviving kingdoms from bring destruction. But no magic comes without a cost and to heal this prince, Avry may have to pay with her life.
Avry is both a strong willed and kind woman. Avry discovered she was a healer when she was fifteen and trained as an apprentice until her time was cut short by the plague. For years, she has lived on the run, praying that her family survived the plague, but by the time she is caught, she is running out of hope. She has kept herself isolated for three years, until she is abducted a group of rouges. Slowly, she allows herself to care about them and grows as a person.
Touch of Power was a fantastic book. The book drew you in from page one, describing an expansive world full of magic and danger. The plot progress slowly, but steadily meandering through the woods. At times the plot can seem inconsistent as it spends multiple chapters on one day before skipping weeks in one paragraph, but the awkward timing works for this book as it is about a long journey. A journey like this can quickly get boring, but thankfully, the story is full of fight scenes and emotional occasions to keep the plot interesting. This book shares many parallels with The Study series with its mirroring characters. Both have similar plot structures that involve the lead learning more about herself as she trains with each of her newfound friends. Both have an enigmatic love interest who slowly warms up to the lead as secondary characters quickly fall in love with the lead’s strength and kindness. Just because there are parallels, does not mean they are the same book. Differences in characters, setting, and magical ability set the two apart and make them feel unique. The magic system is especially unique as it divides magicians into 11 different categories depending on their abilities. There is also a huge focus on healing, a new and interesting type of magic. In this world, healers take the injures of others as their magic allows themselves to heal faster. This magic is new, refreshing and exciting and also allowed for an extremely kind lead character as she was literally forced to carry the burdens of others. I give this 390 page book 4.5 stars.
Healer Series
This magical land is divided into 15 kingdoms and its magicians further divide themselves into 11 types based on their magical ability. After a plague decimated two-thirds of the population. healers are being hunted to extinction.